A heated dispute between Redding City Council members over appointments to the Planning Commission that’s been playing out since April 2 got even more rancorous Tuesday night, culminating with a motion to remove the commission’s chair.
Both Redding Mayor Tenessa Audette and Vice Mayor Julie Winter said they were upset with the way the city’s recent general plan update played out, especially with the way Aaron Hatch, chair of the commission, conducted himself at the advisory board’s April 9 meeting.
Winter said she was concerned that Hatch accused Development Services Director Jeremy Pagan of withholding information “deliberately,” among other things. Winter said Hatch’s actions were divisive and had created a “toxic environment” on the commission.
Hatch was in the audience for Tuesday’s meeting of the city council.
Audette said she wasn’t sure how the commission could be constructive when the chair was making such accusations. Audette then made a motion to remove Hatch from the advisory panel that Winter seconded.
That prompted Councilman Michael Dacquisto to interject, “It’s the Bethel juggernaut at work again, just like I said last week. This is crazy.”
Winter shot right back: “That’s B.S. Stop.”
Audette, Winter and Mayor Pro Tempore Jack Munns attend Bethel, a mega church in Redding whose membership makes up about 10% of the city’s population. Some in the community have expressed concerns that the church wields too much political influence.
Audette was also upset with Dacquisto for mentioning Bethel.
“We just need to be done with the bigoted comments. Do not reference my church again. It has nothing to do with this. Nothing,” Audette said.
Ultimately, the council voted 4-1 to put the potential removal of Hatch on a future agenda, which would also give Hatch the opportunity to address the accusations that were made. Dacquisto voted no.
Hatch, who is a certified financial planner in Redding, told the Record Searchlight that he came to Tuesday’s meeting because he saw the council was going to talk about planning commissioners’ qualifications and he wanted to hear what they had to say. He was surprised that Audette and Winter want to remove him.
“I have not heard or spoken to anybody on the council recently so that was a surprise to me. I feel like if that were really a concern, that would be a conversation,” Hatch said.
As for the April 9 commission meeting, Hatch said he made a comment that he was surprised that commissioners were not allowed to speak at the council’s special meeting on March 26 to consider the City of Redding General Plan 2045.
“I did not intend certainly to make it sound like they were colluding,” Hatch said. “I was more emphasizing that there is a history and there are people who are frequently speaking as commissioners in that capacity to the council and that I was just surprised and upset that we were not given that opportunity.”
What happened April 2?
At the April 2 council meeting, Audette recommended appointing realtor Joshua Johnson and David Stine, CEO of Bethel Media, to the commission. They would replace developer Marcus Partin and realtor Cameron Middleton, whose terms are up.
That didn’t sit well with Dacquisto or Councilmember Mark Mezzano, who said both Partin and Middleton want to stay on the commission.
“I’m confused,” Dacquisto said at the April 2 meeting. “Why would you bring somebody new in when you have two experienced volunteers that are willing to go and continue working?”
On April 2, Audette, Munns and Winter were in the 3-2 majority to appoint Johnson and Stine.
A day before Tuesday’s meeting, Dacquisto told the Record Searchlight that he is concerned the council’s current majority will continue to put Bethel members on the Planning Commission.
In December, Dacquisto ripped the council for voting Audette as mayor and called it the “Bethel juggernaut at work.” Audette, Munns and Winter voted in the majority, passing over then-Vice Mayor Mezzano, who was next in line to be mayor.
“Everybody can draw their own conclusions. I suspect the Planning Commission is going to have to approve the (updated) Sacramento (Riverfront Specific Plan). I suspect more Bethel people will be on it (Planning Commission) and they will approve the plan with some kind of development going on down there and I think the (Redding) Rodeo is going to get the short end of the stick,” Dacquisto said Monday.
The rodeo grounds behind the Redding Civic Auditorium is part of the city’s riverfront specific plan. Dacquisto and Mezzano are the only ones on the council who support giving the rodeo a 75-year extension on its lease, which they said removes doubt about its inclusion in the riverfront update.
Also at Tuesday’s meeting:
City denies court’s request to pause parking enforcement
Shasta County Superior Court Executive Officer Melissa Fowler-Bradley asked the city to pause parking enforcement of jurors’ vehicles around the new courthouse for 90 days until additional parking becomes available.
The request came as the city presented a downtown parking update to the council and suggested changes to the program, which took effect in February 2023.
Councilman Dacquisto suggested approving the recommended changes, but giving those serving jury duty a 90-day grace period. They could put their juror card on the dashboard so they wouldn’t get ticketed.
More: Buzz on the Street is turning 20. Join the Record Searchlight for a Q&A with David Benda
But the council voted 3-2 not to accept the recommended changes and not pause parking enforcement. Audette, Munns and Winter voted in the majority.
“The Superior Court is appreciative of the sacrifices people make to serve on the jury duty and apologize for this added inconvenience when their vehicles are ticketed,” Bradley stated in a news release Wednesday.
The city is extending the time allowed for parking to four hours on the east side of Oregon Street between Tehama and Yuba streets and the west side of Oregon Street behind the courthouse. This would provide about 75 spaces for jurors “to utilize the overflow on-street parking without fear of receiving a citation or requiring their vehicle to be relocated,” the staff report for council said.
Fowler-Bradley said jurors who could not find a place in the jury parking lot would park on the street. That wasn’t a problem until the city started charging for parking, she said.
Council sends letter to feds regarding casino relocation
A divided council voted to send a letter to the Federal Bureau of Indian Affairs that questions the final environmental impact statement for the Redding Rancheria’s plan to relocate its Win-River Resort & Casino to freeway frontage property south of Redding.
City Manager Barry Tippin emphasized that the letter doesn’t question the merits of the project. Rather, the letter says the final environment document did not do a sufficient or thorough enough job addressing the negative economic impacts and traffic impacts the project would have.
The council voted 3-2 to send the letter. Audette, Munns and Winter voted yes. Dacquisto and Mezzano voted no.
The Bureau of Indian Affairs has final say on the casino project.
The public comment period for the final environment impact statement ends April 29 and the Bureau of Indian Affairs could decide on the project after that date.
The Rancheria’s plan is to build a 69,541-square-foot casino, nine-story, 250-room hotel, restaurants, a conference center, an event center, a convention center and a 132,000-square-foot regional retail center on a portion of 232 acres of undeveloped land west of Interstate 5 known as Strawberry Fields. The property is just south the I-5-South Road interchange.
David Benda covers business, development and anything else that comes up for the USA TODAY Network in Redding. He also writes the weekly “Buzz on the Street” column. He’s part of a team of dedicated reporters that investigate wrongdoing, cover breaking news and tell other stories about your community. Reach him on X, formerly Twitter @DavidBenda_RS or by phone at 530-338-8323. To support and sustain this work, please subscribe today.
This article originally appeared on Redding Record Searchlight: Why discord erupted at Redding City Council meeting